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Dude

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The term "dude" is an American English slang word used informally to address a male individual. The word may also be used in the same manner for a female^[1] as its counterpart, 'Dudette. Sometimes people still use dudette but it has fallen out of trend. In informal speech, many young people use the word "dude" freely. "Dude" may also be used alone in a sentence, serving as an exclamation; denoting a feeling of surprise, happiness, disappointment, amazement or other emotions.^[2] The word might also be used practically anywhere in a sentence in order to convey such sentiments in conversation. Other, older definitions of dude exist; a particularly well-dressed male or one who is unfamiliar with life outside a large city. These definitions may go hand-in-hand, hence the phrased definition "An Easterner in the West" (United States).^[3]

1 Origins and common usage
2 References
3 Similar terms
4 External links

Origins and common usage

Originally "dude" meant a city person in the country, with strong connotations of ignorance of rural ways. The word as used in contemporary culture, typically American, may have had its origins in the Irish ^[4], and indeed, 'dúdaire' in modern Irish is a deragotory term for an 'eavesdropper', or a generally ridiculous character ^[5]. The word is also found in German where "Dude" is dialect for ‘fool’ ^[6]. Today in American English, the word may call to mind stereotypical members of late 1980s surfboard culture in coastal California. It is mainly used for men. The word 'dude' was also popularized and prominently used in the movie "Fast Times at Ridgemont High". The popular Aerosmith song "Dude looks like a lady" solidified the gendering of "dude." Its cult status in popular culture was further commemorated in the Coen Brother's instant classic film "The Big Lebowski" 1998, as well as the long running TV sitcom "Friends". Ironically the TV sitcom was about young New Yorkers, but was produced in California - an area known for it's surfer culture and the use of 'dude'. The term had finally jumped the shark with "Dude, Where's My Car?" of 2000, spawning a swarm of jokes and plays on the title including Michael Moore's "Dude, Where's My Country?" Since the word dude is very casual and familiar, it may be considered awkward or rude to use the word to directly address someone with whom the speaker is unacquainted. Some may find the word inappropriate for acquaintances, who are not close friends, or even recommend against its use altogether. Variances in such attitudes and opinions are affected by social and geographical differences. Dude, while commonly used to refer to males, may also be used to refer to females.^[1] Although there is a femininized version, dudette, it is rarely used in anything but a sardonic sense. It may be less likely for a female to be called dudette than to be called dude,^[1] though patterns of usage vary geographically and socially. Dude is also a term used to describe a city person. One example of this use is "Dude Ranches", ranches built in the western states of America for "Dudes", or city folk to experience "cowboy life". "Dude" was also used in the 1860s-1870s by cowboys to describe a newcomer to the West. Tombstone Sherriff John Slaughter was thought to be a "dude" when he first arrived in Tombstone. In the Howard Hawkes film "Rio Bravo" from 1959 one of the actors (Dean Martin) is called "Dude".